Cruise Tour From Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Early this morning, our guide will pick you up at your hotel in Siem Reap. Please give us your hotel name and address and be ready at your hotel at 7:00 A.M. to wait for our shuttle service. You will be transferred by a motor coach from Siem Reap to Kampong Cham and embark on the RV Mekong Princess for lunch. Once aboard, a safety briefing will occur in the Ramvong Lounge as soon as you embark. After enjoying a cruising afternoon at leisure, enjoy a Cambodian Welcome Dinner on board. The ship sails to Angkor Ban and docks overnight. *Onboard activity: Lecture on Cambodia’s Geography and Life along the Mekong River by your host.

We start the day with a visit to the charming and authentic town of Angkor Ban. Here, we witness the daily life of the local people, beginning with a visit to the pagoda with a special blessing ceremony for our guests by local monks; then, we keep visiting a local family’s home to meet them and discuss their lifestyle. We continue through the village to the local school, where we join the children in their classroom and experience their typical school day. The ship sails to Phnom Penh and docks at the port.  Local cyclo drivers will meet you this afternoon for an exciting Phnom Penh city tour. You begin your ride along the riverfront to the Royal Palace, where a leisurely walk takes you through the grounds and perfectly manicured gardens, with opportunities to visit the Throne Hall and Moonlight Pavilion. Upon crossing into the second section of the complex, you walk amongst enormous stupas and spirit houses on the way to the famous Silver Pagoda, home of Cambodia’s Emerald Buddha and Maitreya Buddha, encrusted with more than 9,000 diamonds. Following a short break, your cyclos will take you to the National Museum. Housing the most extensive pre-Angkorian and Angkorian holdings in Cambodia, the National Museum ends the morning tour with a comprehensive look at many of the artifacts excavated around the Angkor Archeological Area in Siem Reap, as well as other areas around the former Khmer Empire.  The ship docks in Phnom Penh overnight.

This morning, a private motor coach takes you on a scenic 45-minute drive away from the ship, arriving at Choeung Ek, the killing fields depicted in the movie and the center of the darkest days of Cambodian history. You may walk through the fields, visit the small museum and Memorial Stupa, and learn more about the atrocities committed during the Khmer Rouge regime. On the return drive to Phnom Penh, a stop is made at Tuol Sleng (infamously known as S-21), which the Khmer Rouge converted from a large school to a prison and torture headquarters. The afternoon is free for leisure to explore the charming city of Phnom Penh. This evening, before dinner, enjoy the entertainment onboard with a cultural performance including Apsara, Cambodia’s national dance, and several traditional folk dances. Early Sunday morning, the Mekong Princess will enter the Border of Cambodia - Vietnam and complete the formalities.

This morning, after completing immigration procedures to Vietnam, we will visit the local island village of Hong Ngu, which is not far from the Vietnam - Cambodia border. Hong Ngu produces many traditional Khmer scarves that are exported to Cambodia. Woven is found in many homes around the village, and we can see the weaving process under several homes. Some villagers are also embroidery artists, displaying their art in and around their homes. The inhabitants of this area had only encountered a few Western visitors before the arrival of the Mekong Princess, and they were especially friendly and welcoming. Guests will also visit the local temple dedicated to a unique religion founded in this area of Vietnam, Hoa Hao. In the afternoon, we board sampans that will take us to Gieng Island. After a short walk around the local sampan village, where local families produce sampans daily, we take a canal drive to explore the mango gardens along the riverbanks. We will try one of the most popular local transportation, "xe loi" (motor trishaw), driving through this island to visit a Phanxico Monastery. The ship sails to Hoa An and anchors overnight.

This morning, continue the excursion by boat to Hoa An village, which is untouched and well-known for flower growing and handmade crafts. Our first stop is the flower gardens, where we will see many different kinds of flowers and learn how to grow and care for them. Then, a short walk to a local house and chat with the host to see how they live and work daily. After a short break, we will continue our excursion on motor trishaw to another village. We stop by the conical hat-making families and have a memorable time chatting with local family members and learning how to create products. Enjoy your walk in the peaceful village with rice fields and fruit trees in between visiting a few local families.  This afternoon, the ship sails through an area of the Mekong Delta barely touched by tourism to Hoang Dieu Harbor next to Can Tho city, known as Tay Do - the capital of the Mekong Delta. You will be taken by a short bus ride to visit the famous “Binh Thuy Ancient House” better known as the “Lover House” by French novelist Marguerite Duras, followed by an orientated city tour with visiting the Zhuang Pagoda (Chua Ong) and enjoying the welcome unicorn traditional dance performed by local teenagers. Explore the charming city on your own before returning to have dinner onboard—the ship docks in Hoang Dieu Harbor.  *Onboard activity: Lecture on Vietnam, the Past & Present by your local Vietnamese host

Early this morning, continental breakfast will be served. Bus rides to the pier in Can Tho to board the sampan for a cruise through the fascinating Cai Rang floating market. The sampans will weave in and out of the many boats that sail into the market each morning to sell produce and other items the residents of the Mekong Delta need in their daily lives. As they weave through the market, there will be many opportunities for amazing photographs while enjoying fresh fruit and the Vietnamese “anti-ageing drink,” fresh coconut water. We will also stop at a local dry noodle-making house to witness the excellent process of making them. We will then return to the Mekong Princess for a well-deserved Breakfast. After completing the port formalities, we will leave Hoang Dieu Harbor, downstream the Bassac River, to sail through the Tra On Rivulet mouth, Nicolai Canal, Mang Thit Canal, Cho Lach Rivulet mouth, and Mekong River. The ship anchors and docks overnight in the heart of the Mekong Delta in Ben Tre province.  *Onboard activity: Our Executive Chef demonstrates Fruit Carvings & Tropical Fruits.

This morning, sampans take you through a channel lined with mangroves. We will try one of the most popular local transportation, "xe lam" (three-wheeler), to visit a local coconut candy maker. After watching the candy-making process, walking through the village to visit an orchard where fruits native to Vietnam can be seen in various stages of maturity on the vine. After a fresh fruit tasting, you continue to a pier where you board small, local boats through the narrow creeks lined with Nipah palm before returning to the ship. We sail through the 'Mighty Mekong River' to the Cho Gao Canal, Vam Co River, Nuoc Man Canal, Soai Rap River and Saigon River. The ship docks overnight at Saigon Port. End of Mekong Delta Cruise. *Onboard activity: Cooking Class Demonstration by our Executive Chef.

Enjoy a sumptuous breakfast buffet at the Indochine Restaurant. After breakfast and completing the port formalities, we disembarked the Mekong Princess at 8:00 A.M. in Saigon port and transferred by motor coach to your Ho Chi Minh City hotel.